DOT names five more ‘crowd-less’ beaches for summer vacation

MANILA — After naming five ‘crowd-less’ beaches earlier this week for tourists to check out this summer, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has added five more seaside spots perfect for some peace and silence.

Boracay, known for being a 24/7 party island, will almost never be crowd-less, but DOT has included Nagsasa Cove in San Antonio, Zambales; Britania Islands in Surigao del Sur; Gigantes Islands in Iloilo; The Subic Beach in Matnog, Sorsogon; and Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte to its earlier list.

On its new list, the DOT has named less popular beaches which boast of just about everything guaranteed to make any beach bum happy.

Basdaku Beach in Moalboal, Cebu – is located 60 kilometers south of Cebu City. Within Moalboal lies one kilometer of expansive white sand beach known as Basdaku which, in Cebuano, means big sand.

This beach offers adventure facilities for water activities such as island hopping, scuba diving, snorkeling, surf fishing, kite surfing, and beach volleyball are also available for rent.

To get to the beach, from the Cebu City South Bus Terminal DOT said that visitors can take either the Ceres Bus bound for South Cebu or the Librando Bus going to Badian and ask to be dropped off in Moalboal. Travel time is between 2.5 and 3 hours. In Moalboal, tricycles are available for rent that will bring you to Moalboal beach.

Caramoan, Camarines Sur — this beach is an unspoiled paradise filled with numerous islands and islets, white sand beaches, limestone cliffs, rocks, lagoons, caves, and rich marine life, and has gained global attention shortly after having been featured as the location set for hit reality TV series Survivor.

Visitors may visit the beach with two options: by land or by plane. Those who opt to travel by land, can take either of the Naga-bound buses at the Araneta Center Cubao Station. Travel time is 8 hours. At the Naga Central Terminal, jeepneys, vans, and buses are available for rent going to Caramoan.

Those who opt to travel by plane, can fly either to Naga or Virac, Catanduanes. In Virac, there are boats for rent going to Caramoan and travel time takes two hours. Some say this route is easier as compared to Naga’s.

Dicasalarin Cove in Baler, Aurora — travelers looking for peace and tranquility have an alternative place to visit aside from Baler (which is popular as a weekend surfing destination) a few kilometers away from the surfing spot: it’s the Dicasalarin Cove.

DOT said that during the rainy season, the waves in this beach can be strong as it faces the Pacific Ocean, but an alternative for swimming could be river flowing out to sea.

Aside from the secluded beach, the property also features a triangular modern lighthouse that could be trekked for 15 minutes and an artist village that displays various artworks commissioned by the family.

Island Garden City of Samal in Davao Gulf – DOT calls this beach as an “unspoiled beauty” located off the coast of Davao City is what people describe as “a little paradise on earth.”

While it is just 900 meters east of Davao City, Samal is physically unattached to the mainland. It has a stretch of over 118 kilometers of uninterrupted coastline with an extensive mountain range east of the coast. These make the island filled with more tourist spots in itself: the Hagimit Falls, a multi-tiered waterfalls that cascade into a natural swimming hole; the Monfort Bat Cave, a Guiness World Record-holder for having the largest colony of almost 2 million fruit bats in the world; the Mansud Wall and Talikud Island, two of the best dive sites in the country for muck diving and macro photography; and the Vanishing Island, which emerges only during low tide.

Visitors can take their pick from nearly 70 resorts around the island in terms of accommodations—ranging from modest to extravagant, all offering easy access to white sand beaches and aquamarine waters.

Vanishing Island in the Garden City of Samal, Davao – aside from the Island Garden City in Davao, DOT noted that the Vanishing Island located in the same place is one of the tourist spots within the tourist spot itself.

DOT, meanwhile, urged tourists— especially photography hobbyists to check its official Instagram account since it will be adding more beaches to its list as the days progress.

This comes after DOT last Friday announced that the hashtag #itsmorefuninthephilippines has hit the one million mark on the mobile photo-sharing app.